News

Recycling scheme a roaring success in wolverhampton

04
Nov
2010

A pioneering cooking oil recycling scheme has proved a roaring success with Wolverhampton residents, with over 2,000 litres collected just 10 months after the facility was launched.

The scheme, launched in December last year by green energy company Living Fuels, collects waste cooking oil from sites across the UK and refines it into a biofuel called LF1oo, which is then used to create renewable electricity.

“The amount of oil collected over the last 10 months is a credit to Wolverhampton residentsâ€ said Daniel Gillert, commercial manager for Living Fuels:”many people don’t realise that thousands of tonnes of used cooking oil are poured down the drain each year, costing UK rate payers around £15 million to clean up. By recycling your used cooking oil, you’re not only helping to solve this problem but also making use of what was previously a waste material.

“To put Wolverhampton’s efforts into perspective, 2,000 litres of used cooking oil will produce enough electricity to make nearly half a million cups of tea, or power a light bulb for 51 years!”

The oil tanks were installed by Living Fuels in conjunction with Wolverhampton City Council and Enterprise to drastically reduce the amount of waste products distributed into landfill.

Cabinet member for Environment Cllr Barry Findlay said: “I’m not surprised by this achievement given the enthusiasm in the city for recycling.Wolverhampton residents understand that the more waste they recycle, the better we protect the environment from the hazards of landfill. I’m also delighted that the city is helping to support the growth of an important enterprise.”

Daniel added: “using this process to create electricity vastly reduces carbon emissions and reduces the UK’s landfill mountain, meaning that everyone can play a part in building Britain’s renewable energy future.”

For more information and opening times of Anchor lane and Shaw Road household waste recycling centres, visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk.